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I finally had a chat with an old school butcher that made me question my whole system
Ran into a guy named Sal who's been cutting meat for 40 years at a shop outside Cleveland. He watched me break down a loin and just said "you're fighting the grain, kid." I've been doing this 8 years and never really thought about it that way. He showed me how he angles his knife based on where the muscle runs instead of just going straight down. Took me 3 tries to get it right but the final cuts looked way cleaner and held up better on the plate. Anyone else have an older cutter drop some simple wisdom on you that made you go back to basics?
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the_charlie1d ago
Man, reading this took me right back to a moment with a guy named Angelo at a meat shop in Philly about ten years ago. He was 70 something, missing two fingers, and he watched me slice a ribeye and just said "you're twisting your wrist, stop that." I thought I was doing it right but he was right. It was like he saw something in the motion I couldn't feel myself. It's amazing how those little corrections from someone who has done it a million times can completely change your approach. I spent the next week trying to unlearn my own habit, and it was frustrating but worth it. That kind of wisdom is gold, and it's exactly why I love meeting old school guys like Sal.
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wendyc5313h ago
That bit about Angelo seeing something in the motion you couldn't feel yourself, that's the part that gets me. How did you finally figure out what he meant by 'twisting your wrist'? I'm curious if you had to break the habit cold turkey or if you found some trick that made it click. Because sometimes those old timers can spot a flaw but explaining it in a way that actually sticks is a whole different thing. Did you end up going back and showing him you fixed it?
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